News

Launching the 2012 Fiat 500 minicar in the U.S. market was a gamble to begin with. But it's one that is paying off in some unexpected ways. Fiat's top North American executive, Laura Soave, told trade journal Ward's Auto that the Cabrio model with the roll-back cloth roof is proving far more...

While the federal government has a blanket $7,500 tax credit available for anyone who purchases an eligible electric ca, each state is at liberty to apply its own incentives to encourage people to make the switch from gasoline to electric cars. The amount of additional incentives varies from state...

Last week we told you about Nissan’s plans to break some novel world records at the world-famous 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Unlike some of the other competitors there who sought the fastest time driving forwards up the twisty 1.16 mile course, Nissan had planned to have British stunt...

It’s official: next year Toyota will launch not one, but three plug-in vehicles in the year ahead. Announced at Toyota’s Annual National Dealer meeting in Las Vegas, the trio of vehicles will consist of one plug-in hybrid and two pure electric vehicles to the U.S. market by the end of...

Mercedes-Benz is working on a brand new version of its B-Class hatchback that’s destined to go on sale in the U.S. late next year alongside a new A-Class hatchback, BLS four-door coupe and BLK compact crossover. This family of small cars from the German luxury brand will all ride on a new...

Sales of plug-in electric cars continued their slow climb in June. The 2011 Nissan Leaf racked up its best U.S. sales number ever while the 2011 Chevrolet Volt sales held steady, as the company had warned they would. Following a May total of 1,142 sales--the first time more than 1,000 Leafs had...

Much debate will occur--and that's putting it politely--over the next round of gas-mileage standards, which the EPA hopes to finalize next year for 2017-2025 vehicles. Earlier this week, news reports from Washington indicated that the Obama Administration and EPA are pushing for 56.2 mpg as the...

The Leaf generates massively more and constant high frequency sound feedback

Last September, Toyota said the company would launch six new hybrids by the end of 2012. Now, a report from the German car magazine AutoBild suggests that one of those is a new Lexus: a baby brother for the brand's hugely successful RX 450h hybrid crossover utility vehicle. The new compact...

Pretty much every Toyota Prius hybrid you see on the streets looks the same. Wild customization is generally limited to personalized plates that promote the driver's green credentials, solar panels, eco-living, or general hybrid luv-luv-LUV. That's about to change. Toyota announced today it will...

Spare a thought, if you will, a momentary tear, for 85,000 doomed drivers of three models of hybrid car in California. They are the unlucky losers of a privilege that saved them time, raised the value of their vehicle, and undoubtedly increased their karmic contentment, all because of a set of tiny...

About a month ago we first brought you details on the new T.27 electric minicar prototype from automotive industry legend Gordon Murray, one of the chief designers of the McLaren F1 supercar. His latest T.25 minicar project is bustling along, with his design firm, the eponymous Gordon Murray...

While we think Rolls-Royce is unlikely to be selling an all-electric Phantom any time soon, the British luxury car maker has been putting its 102EX Electric Phantom through a whole series of tests ahead of a worldwide tour to ensure it behaves in an appropriate manner at all times. One of the most...

They're not pretty, but they should catch your attention. Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued its design for a warning label to be placed on so-called pumps that dispense the new gasoline blend, which contains a higher ethanol content. Although the legal status of E15 gasoline may...

Better Place has moved a bit further down the road in its quest to corner the electric vehicle market. In Denmark, the company has just unveiled Europe's first Battery Switch Station, which will serve as the cornerstone of Better Place's biggest real-world test to date. The grand event was held at...

It’s been a while since we heard about Gordon Murray and the British engineer’s enigmatic T.25 minicar. The last we heard, Gordon Murray and his eponymous design and engineering firm Gordon Murray Design had built a prototype for his new minicar, revealing details about its...

The days of the almost silent electric car are gone. Motivated by a severe case of liticaphobia - or the fear of lawsuits - the auto industry has already agreed that electric cars should have some form of audible warning system fitted as standard to alert pedestrians of their approach. But while...

EVs aren't typically thought of as the sporting choice--yet.

If you have a child who's grade-school age or younger, chances are fairly good that you've already seen Disney Pixar's animated feature, Cars 2. If you're not in that number but enjoy eco-friendly rides, you might want to sneak a peek through the back door -- just don't expect any surprises. (Note...

In the United States, we often think of Volkswagen as a moderately green company -- an automaker responsible for small vehicles like the popular Golf and New Beetle, and one of the few companies to make diesel rides for the American market. Across the pond, however, Greenpeace has singled out VW as...